Chapter 94

Nico

“There are five, large unused buildings on that piece of land,” Tony tells me. “They appear to be derelict.” He studies his mobile closer.

“Show me the footage,” I tell him as we still sit in the foyer of the Four Seasons. I feel like I am drawing attention to myself. A couple of shady looking guys are keeping an eye on us. They arrived as Carlos left. It makes me wonder if he has something to do with it. I wouldn’t put it past him or that he has called one of his Cartel men to let them know that Nico Santangelo is in town.

I take the mobile from Tony and zoom in on the image he has been sent by one of our team. “These are live right now, correct?”

He nods. “Listen, I think we need to go some place else, Nico. Those guys have been watching us for a while. Do you think they’re from Carlos or someone else?”

“Who knows but yeah, you are right. We ought to get shot of this place. I’ll let our guys know we are coming out with a tail of two.” He nods at me as I study the buildings on the deserted piece of desert-type land.

We both stand at the same time, I pass him his mobile. “I don’t see any guards outside any of the buildings. Strange, right?”

“Maybe, Carlos is full of shit and it isn’t the place Yelena took Lucky to.”

We reach the revolving doors and wait for a power-dressed couple in suits to come through. She smiles at me; I nod politely and focus on the doors in front and my two guys standing right outside. Two more are in the vehicle behind mine. The driver already has the car outside waiting with the engine running as my brother and I step outside.

Through the smoked glass I can see the two suspect guys standing and making their way to the doors too. “Get in the vehicle, Tony.” He doesn’t need to be told twice.

“Who the fuck are they?” he says as he gets in and I follow. Our driver closes the door after us and hops in the front.

“Where too, Boss?” he asks as he belts up.

“I will send you the location,” I tell him as I put on my seatbelt and make myself comfortable in the back, meanwhile keeping my eyes on the two guys who come out. They’re dressed in black, head to toe. Not very casual or discreet. Deftly I open my mobile and go to the maps app and send the location for the buildings to my driver.

“The image of the Four Seasons here in Mexico City seems to be going downhill,” Tony says. I nod as I send the driver the location for the buildings. Then I send it to my guys in the vehicle behind us.

“You know we’re going to have a tail, right?” Tony says like I haven’t already thought of that.

“For a short period only. I am going to let them think they’re getting away with it. Don’t worry, brother. I am on it.”

“What exactly have you got in mind this time?” he asks me as we pull away from the front of the hotel. I don’t need to turn my head to check if my other vehicle is close behind. My guys are good, the best naturally.

“A little side accident I’m thinking then taken somewhere in this rat-infested city where they can be held and questioned later.”

“Good call. I like your style, Nico.”

Whilst he is collecting more data from our drone intel, I send a message to one of our guys here in Mexico City. Pablo is a contact we use here for clean-up operations and taking care of business. They man has more legs than a spider and knows the network well. I don’t trust Carlos to be pulling a fast one over us.

It has crossed my mind that he is in with Yelena. Who knows how far her reach is and perhaps Carlos even has a vendetta against me for sacking him. Crazy people have crazy minds. That is the long and short of it.

It takes three rings before the call at the other end is answered.

“Pablo, how are you?”

“Good, thanks Nico what can I do for you? Long time since we’ve seen each other. You need to fly in.”

“I am in Mexico City right now. I need you to handle something for me.”

“You got it, what do you need?”

Tony holds his mobile up to my face, I narrow my eyes and take a better look. Outside one of the buildings, a man has come out wearing combats and carrying a heavy machine gun.

“That’s our building,” I tell Tony he nods in agreement.

“Pablo, I’ve got a tail from the Four Seasons and going to send you, my location. The car behind me is mine, the large black Merc is not.”

“No problems, Nico. Send the location and I will handle it. What do you want me to do with the bodies?”

Always straight to the point, no messing around. Pable is an easy guy to do business with when the call is required.

“Let them have a side accident, take them hostage and place them in one of your locations. Send me the details when the job is done. I need them alive. Extract what you can from them by any means you choose. Your call. Two guys in total.”

“Got it, Nico.”

“Thanks, Pablo. I’ll organize one of my runners to drop you some cash shortly.” We don’t want to have a paper trail on this type of work. Not with my business always being looked into. Tsk, can’t they leave a man alone?

We hang up.

“There is another one,” Tony says as we both look at his mobile together. “And there is the woman herself!”

Yelena now with red hair stands outside the building. It appears she is talking to the two armed men. No doubt plotting her next move. I am conscious the clock is ticking.

The plan is to get my girl out of there with no harm to her, take Yelena and her asshole guards out and get the hell out of Mexico City.