was to be expected.” He paused briefly. When he spoke again, it sounded as if he were chewing. “You’ve had more than a month, Nathan.”
The reminder had been spoken mildly, but that didn’t diminish its impact. Tony Monaco wasn’t the kind of man who needed to raise his voice to get his point across. His actions and his reputation did that for him. At one time, he had been the heir to a criminal empire that would have made Volski’s operation look like a mom-and-pop corner store. Although Tony directed his energy toward other pursuits now, he hadn’t come that far from his roots.
Nathan’s pulse, still elevated from his run, took an extra leap. “I will pay you back, Tony.”
“I hope you do. You were one of the first to join the organization, and I’ve enjoyed watching your success over the years. You’ve invested the profits from your business wisely. What are you worth now? Seventy million? Seventy-five?”
At current market value, his stock portfolio and real estate amounted to closer to eighty, not counting his art collection, but Nathan knew the exact figure was irrelevant. It wasn’t money that Tony wanted.
“You’ve been an asset to Payback,” Tony continued, “but I can’t make any exceptions, even for you.”
“I knew the rules going in,” Nathan said. “I’m not asking for exceptions. The deal’s set for this Friday.”
Liquid splashed into a glass. “All right,” Tony said. “What do you need?”
“A name. A contact in the FBI I can trust to bring in for the end game.”
“I’ll have someone get back to you on that. Which number are you using?”
Nathan recited the number for the direct line to his office at Pack Leader. He wouldn’t be going back there as Beliveau until this deal was finished—he’d tied up as many loose ends as he could and had told his staff he was taking a vacation before he’d come to the estate this morning. Still, it would be safer to retrieve the message from his office voice mail there than to risk getting a call from the FBI on this phone.
But if Friday didn’t go as planned, he wouldn’t have an office or voice mail. He wouldn’t have Pack Leader Express.
Nathan ended the call, stripped off the rest of his clothes and stepped into the shower, hoping the hot water would ease some of the knots from his muscles.
It was no use. The tension he felt was too deep for a run or a shower to loosen. In fact, it had been building for ten years, ever since the day he had joined Payback.
Payback. It was an organization as well as a philosophy. A decade ago, Tony had provided Nathan the new identity and the financial backing that had enabled him to turn his life around. Because of Tony, Nathan had given up crime. In return, Nathan had to pay back the favor by bringing another criminal to justice.
Tony had waited ten years before calling in the debt. Then two months ago, he had chosen Stephan Volski as Nathan’s target. Once Volski and his heroin-smuggling ring were behind bars, Nathan’s debt would be paid in full.
But if he failed to pay his debt to Tony, Nathan would lose everything that Tony’s help had allowed him to build: his wealth, his company and his respectable new life.
He wouldn’t just be playing Nathan Rand anymore, he would be him.
He would do anything to keep that from happening.
Even if it meant seeing Kelly Jennings arrested?
Nathan gritted his teeth, twisted the faucet to cold and ducked his head under the stream.
Конец ознакомительного фрагмента.
Текст предоставлен ООО «ЛитРес».
Прочитайте эту книгу целиком, купив полную легальную версию на ЛитРес.
Безопасно оплатить книгу можно банковской картой Visa, MasterCard, Maestro, со счета мобильного телефона, с платежного терминала, в салоне МТС или Связной, через PayPal, WebMoney, Яндекс.Деньги, QIWI Кошелек, бонусными картами или другим удобным Вам способом.
