Dante motioned to the seat she’d vacated. “Sit.”
“I’ll stand.”
“Kane, we’re old friends. Family friends. You will sit, you will have a Scotch with me.”
Dante rose and walked over to the sideboard. He turned his back on Kane, which told him that he wasn’t concerned Kane had come here to kill him. There might come a day when Kane would put a bullet in Dante Romero, but it wasn’t today. He hoped it never came to that, because there were some things Kane liked about Dante. And the fact their fathers had been best friends.
Dante poured two glasses of Scotch and walked over to a small table in the corner framed by two comfortable leather chairs. Kane had sat here before, years ago, when they first negotiated their truce.
“Please, Kane. You can see every entrance from this corner.”
Kane crossed the room and sat. He took the Scotch, and Dante raised his glass. “Old friends.”
Kane nodded and they both drank until the glasses were empty.
“Did you kill my men?”
“No.”
“Good. They’re hard to find.”
“Look harder. They were easy to take down.”
“Who’s with you? Ranger? I heard he was still in South America.”
“I’m alone.”
“You don’t travel alone.” He paused. “Most of the time.”
“My pilot is with my plane. I need information.”
“Of course you do. It’s the only reason why you visit me.” He almost pouted, but there was a light in his eyes that reminded Kane that Dante loved this game. He lived for it.
“I don’t have time for the back-and-forth,” Kane said.
“You never do.”
Kane took out the surveillance photo of Gabriella and the three men, one of whom Kane knew to be Carson Spade. “Your sister stayed with this man”—he tapped the photo—“at an Acapulco resort for two nights. Then she left in a helicopter with him and someone else—an older man.”
“You know Gabriella—she’s fickle.”
Gabriella was anything but fickle, so Kane didn’t dignify Dante’s lie with a response. “Took me a while, but I traced the helicopter to Borho Enterprises, which we both know is a front for Herme Velasquez. But Herme doesn’t operate in this area, per his agreement with the Grande conglomerate, so I suspect he loaned the chopper to the Flores cartel. Herme’s niece married into the extended family.”
“I was at the wedding.”
“Their truce is still in effect. We both know how Gabriella feels about Samuel Flores.”
“Of course we do,” Dante said, obviously enjoying this conversation. “She wouldn’t be in business with them. I take our agreement very seriously.”
“Not business. She would, however, go inside in order to assassinate him. I think her boyfriend here is the youngest brother.”
“My sweet sister.” Dante smiled, but it didn’t reach his eyes. “You can’t stop her from taking his blood, enacting vengeance. First, you have done the same when it matters to you. And even if you wanted to stop her, you can’t. Not this time. Not for this cause.”
“I told Gabriella years ago to let me take him down, and she refused. Her games are going to get you both killed, but they are her games. I’m not here to stop her.”
“A good revenge plot takes time. Preparation is half the satisfaction.”
“I don’t want to get involved in that. I need to find this man.” He pointed to Carson Spade.
“I don’t know him.”
“You’re lying.”
Dante leaned back, his jaw tight. “You come into my home, for information about my sister, and accuse me of lying.”
“His name is Carson Spade. He brought his son with him, then disappeared. The son’s mother hired RCK to bring her son home. I don’t care about Spade. I want the boy. I am prepared to extract him quietly.”
Dante assessed what he said. He didn’t relax, but there was a slight shift in his posture. He was contemplating the situation, running over all the facts, and most certainly trying to figure out what Kane was keeping from him. Kane maintained his poker face.
Dante sipped his Scotch. “I don’t know Spade, but I know that Flores and his people are on high alert. I do not know why; I do not involve myself in their business out of respect for my sister. If Spade and his son are on their compound, even you won’t be able to extract him. Dear friend, you are very good at what you do, but deep down you still have a conscience. That is the only thing that separates you from them.”
“I am here to get the boy.”
“And I am telling you, it is impossible. You will not penetrate his compound.”
“I can if you give me intel on his security.”