“Take him downstairs,” Rodolfo told Carlos,” but before you cut him loose, I want to know who else was at the airport that day.”
“Senor Rodolfo, please, I didn’t want to be there.”
“Get him out of my sight.”
“Like we talked about?” Carlos asked.
Rodolfo stood, walked to the window, and merely lifted his hand in response. When he did, Oscar let out a moan that sounded as if someone had shot him. Perhaps that’s what would happen to him, Rodolfo thought, but he wasn’t concerned what Cain did to Oscar once Carlos handed him over. All he cared about was defusing the fire keg Juan had lit.
*
The street in front of Ramon’s club was lined with work trucks that morning when Cain and her group arrived. Whoever had thrown the incendiary device had managed to damage only the very front space, but unfortunately two employees had been standing there. From the number of workmen, Ramon didn’t plan to stay closed long.
Mano was waiting for them by the bar, and before he led them to Ramon’s office on the third floor he embraced Cain and kissed both her cheeks. “Thank you for saving my sister.”
“You’d do the same for me.” The guards hung back until they finished their talk, and Cain took her time with Mano because she, better than anyone, understood what an emotional wringer he’d been through. “I failed when it came to Marie and Billy, but I’m glad you were able to avoid that pain.”
“After seeing how much you care, I can’t believe you failed at all. I can’t replace the loss of your family, but I want you to accept that you’re part of mine. Whatever you need, call me and I’ll treat you no different than if Remi was asking.”
“Thanks, that means a lot to me.”
“Good. Now if you’re ready to go up, I got the package you asked for.”
Richard looked like he was in shock when Cain entered and saw him standing in the corner, his back against the wall. His eyes were on Remi, and he kept blinking like maybe he could clear Remi from his sight if he tried hard enough.
“Good morning, Richard,” Cain said to snap him out of his trance. “Sit down and close your mouth.”
“Why am I here?”
“You’re here so we can offer you the deal of your life.”
“Ramon, what’s this about?” Richard asked.
“Cain speaks for me and my family, so ask her. I just brought my checkbook,” Ramon said with a laugh.
“The reality of our situation is that you own a casino in someone else’s name. You’re Junior and Nunzio Luca’s front man, but in the eyes of the law you, and you alone, own the Capri,” Muriel explained. Ross, Steve, and Dwayne sat next to her merely listening to what was going on. “Understand me so far?”
“If this has to do with the casino deal, you need to call Nunzio,” Richard said, his breathing speeding up noticeably.
“We don’t need to call Nunzio,” Cain said, “when we have the true owner right here.”
“Cain, no matter what you do, you’re not going to make me sign anything. Whatever you threaten me with, Nunzio’s only going to do worse, and you know it.”
“Why not listen to what Muriel has to say before you turn us down?” Cain held her hands up. “But before you decide to walk away no matter what, consider this. Today is the last day any of us will talk about this deal, much less consider it. A decision you made without Nunzio’s permission brought us to this point. Do you think he’s forgotten that?”
“What do you want?”
“We want the casino, and we want to buy it from you.”
Richard was laughing so hard he slapped his knees. “That’s hilarious. Really, what do you want?”
“I’m not a huge fan of repeating myself, just so you know.” Richard’s merriment died at Cain’s words and the room fell silent again. “But I’ll explain again since it seems over your head. You can turn me and the Jatibons down and face Nunzio. Or you can accept our offer and retire to a palm tree somewhere with the money we’re going to pay you for signing your name.”
Richard sat up straighter and put his hands over his mouth. While he thought about it, Cain made a bet with herself how long he would hold out before he took the money.
“How much?”
Cain accepted a slip of paper from Ramon and handed it over. “That amount in a Cayman account in your name. You can enjoy the beach for awhile if you want, or you can transfer it wherever you like.”
“Who’s going to protect me from Nunzio?”
“That check has enough zeros to buy all the protection you’ll need.”
Richard closed his hand over the paper and took a deep breath. “If you tell me why, I’ll give you what you want.”
“You should know the answer to that,” Cain said, “but I’ll let Remi explain.”
“Nunzio took his shot at me, and this is our response. Hiring someone to kill me doesn’t come without consequences. The casino is his consequence.”
“I sign it over and you give me the money—it’s that simple?”
“You got it,” Cain said.
