Page 50 of Billion-Dollar Ransom
“And look at this freaking mess! If someone drives by right now—”
But then Five collected himself and remembered that these weren’t hired guns. These were his brothers; they went way back. They could be knuckleheads, but when the knuckleheads were your loyal friends, you forgave them. Always, without question.
“Okay. Fine. Matteo, go find their car and bring it back here. Ernie, put them in the trunk. Make it all disappear. And get someone to spray the blood off the street. It looks like you were slaughtering cattle out here.”
Ernie couldn’t resist. “No cattle, Ramiro.Pigs.”
Five didn’t want to smile in front of them, but after he turned his back, he couldn’t resist. Pigs. Thatwasfunny.
And ultimately, he knew it didn’t matter. This was no big deal. Cops died all the time in Tijuana.
But he also had his guests to worry about. Surely they’d heard the gunfire. This would fill them with either dread (not a bad thing) or hope (not ideal).
Five moved swiftly down the hall, removed the twin padlocks from the door, made his way down the stairs, and used another set of keys on the triple dead bolts. Inside this room, his guests were still zip-tied to different parts of the bed.
“Were those fireworks?” Cassandra Bart said, playing the part of the naive and terrified last remaining girl in a horror movie.
“Those were not fireworks,” Five said, also playing a part. He acted grim, as if he’d received some dire news.
“The cavalry is here, isn’t it,” Tyler said with a wide grin that looked comical beneath his badly broken nose. “You have no idea who you are messing with.”
Now it was Five’s turn to smile. “No, that wasn’t the cavalry. No one has any idea where you are.”
Oh, the looks on their faces. So much fun to watch the privileged experience true disappointment. And this was much worse than not scoring a reservation at a trendy Beverly Hills restaurant or being denied membership at an exclusive VIP-only social club because their assistants had missed the deadline to file the paperwork.
“And from what I hear,” Five continued, staring directly at Tyler Schraeder, “the payment for you is not quite working out. I doubt you’ll be seeing the sun again.”
He turned to the door, then paused and gave Cass a wink over his shoulder.
“But you, my lovely… I like your chances.”
As Five bolted the door again, muffling Tyler’s cries of rage, he wondered about his future. This was too much fun. Maybe he should be an actor.
CHAPTER 54
Thursday, 6:40 p.m.
MIKE AND NICKY met outside FBI headquarters in Westwood. Mike held up a smoked-turkey wrap from the Corner Bakery, and when Nicky raised her eyebrows quizzically, he smiled and said, “Special K’s not the only one who needs good food in her belly.” Nicky took the wrap gratefully. She hadn’t eaten anything since their hurried breakfast many hours ago.
Nicky noted that Mike’s own dinner appeared to be hits from his vape pen, which was why they were standing outside in the warm evening air.
“Who’s that financial-crimes guy again?” Mike asked. “Guy who looks like a linebacker?”
“Ross Lindbergh,” Nicky said. “Why?”
“We’re going to want Lindbergh to nail something down for us,” Mike said. “If this is true, then I think this case is about to solve itself.”
“You want to tell me first, maybe? You know, before I send out for the champagne?”
Mike smirked. “An old buddy from the narcotics squad hit me up while I was waiting for your wrap. Apparently, he and his buddies saw Randy Schraeder ranting on TV, and the eye-rolling started.”
“Why?”
“According to the narcotics guys, these kidnappings are clearly a cartel deal. They’re the only ones with the bankroll, the bodies, and the organizational muscle to pull it off.”
Nicky could follow the logic, but it didn’t feel right. This threat felt homegrown.
“So, what, the cartel is doing a little fundraising by targeting one of the wealthiest people in America?”
