Chapter 24

Dalton

“I don’t know how many times I have to say this. I have no idea the whereabouts of my fiancé. Your guess is as good as mine. If she has any sense she will see what is going on here and stay away.” Grant was on his knees in front of a camouflaged Sanchez standing in front of him. He was the one leading this expedition to find the diamonds.

“A man of your infinite resources would have every reason to keep a watch on her. I suspect you might have even gone as far as to keep her on a short leash. You don’t understand. I’m not leaving here without her. The rest of you mean nothing to me. I got my hands on part of what they took from me, but it isn’t enough.” Sanchez was standing there with his gun moving back and forth with Grant following the steel barrel without even shaking.

“I thought I knew her, but then you tell me this story of how she stole from you. I can’t see her doing anything of the sort. It does make me ponder the idea that I don’t know her as well as I think I do. I don’t even know if I want to marry her. She certainly doesn’t need my money.” I had to give him credit for not showing his cards even during some considerable abuse to his body.

“I would love to believe you, but I can’t. I have it on good authority you have known about her extracurricular activities. I find it hard to believe you of all people could condone such an action.” The inflection of his voice and what he was saying led me to believe there was another interested party.

“I don’t know where you’re getting your information, but somebody is pulling the wool over your eyes. Don’t you think had I had knowledge of her previous actions that I would have used that to my advantage?” It was interesting to see how his mind worked.

“I think you already are using it to your advantage. I’m mildly impressed by your fortitude. It’s time we take this up a notch. I have to say, there have been many who haven’t been able to stand up to what I am dishing out.” I was coordinating this rescue effort to happen like a surgical procedure.

“I can’t cover you and Gillian at the same time. There’s a better chance of success if I back up Gillian and Melanie. It means you’re going to have to somehow catch them with their pants down. If I were to make a suggestion, I would wait until their attention is diverted elsewhere.” Jackson was basically saying I should wait until the surgical strike was already in progress.

“I agree with your assessment of the situation.” I braced myself and tested the textile strength of the glass in front of me with my hand.

The cold pane of glass was reinforced to take a bullet. I was going to have to fire with point-blank accuracy to weaken the strength. It was going to have to be a split second reaction.

I was going to have to go through the window while at the same time avoiding the shards of glass from penetrating my skin. I could easily be blinded if I didn’t find some way to shield my eyes.

I dug around in the bag over my shoulder until I found a pair of safety glasses useful for firing at the range. I put them on and they didn’t distort my vision. My mind was made up.

“I can’t tell you something I don’t know,” Grant grunted in response to a right cross to his jaw. I knew it was a selfish thing to wish for, but I was hoping the attack wouldn’t happen until he was suitably admonished.

“This is getting tedious and maybe I have been going about this the wrong way. You obviously have a deep affection for Gillian. I wonder what would happen if I were to bring your mother in here to take your place. You can prevent that by telling me what I want to know.” It was cowardly of him to use his mother against him.

“I would seriously reconsider that option. If anything happens to my family then there won’t be a place on this earth you will be able to run from me. By your own admission, I have resources which go beyond the normal. I have back alley contacts. Money speaks louder than any loyalty.” Grant was dangerously close to picking a fight with a man with a gun pressed to his temple.

“I have no love lost for people like you. You think the world revolves around you and everybody else is there to do your bidding. I can respect the allure of power. I have the undying fealty of several young soldiers willing to pay their dues.” Sanchez was a small fish, but I knew his destiny was to lead his army of foot soldiers into battle.

“I have power cultivated in every branch of the government. I have the influence of high ranking officials ready to take my phone call. We might be the same, but we are different in so many ways. I could give the word tomorrow and have your entire family wiped off the face of the earth. Where we differ is I can kill with impunity without getting my hands dirty.” Grant’s power was limited to how long he was going to remain breathing. The report of his death would translate into his father reacting with his own form of revenge.

“We aren’t as different as you might think. We both live surrounded by an army of loyal servants. We both have men willing to lay down their lives for us. We even have something more in common than you may be aware of. We love women who can’t possibly reciprocate in the same way.” Sanchez was good at reading people and his poker face was worth the price of admission to any card game.

The desk Grant was kneeling in front of was his own. Sanchez went around and sat down with his feet up slamming them down onto the polished wood. They were dripping mud and snow. He was smiling like he didn’t have a care in the world.

“I’m sure there’s some way we can work this out. Tell me what your conditions are.” He had reverted back to the political animal raised on the teachings of a despicable man.

“We have nothing to talk about unless you have five billion dollars. I would gladly take four billion if you had it lying around here someplace. Why do you suppose I have gone to these great lengths to get those diamonds back into my hands? The simple truth is I can’t go home without them.” It was always about the money and how much he could make on those toiling in the mines in Africa.

“I will give you five million dollars to walk away.” It was more money than most people would see in a lifetime. Sanchez was shaking his head with the insult of his offer.

“That isn’t even a drop in the bucket compared to what I could get. I hate to say this, but I am a greedy son of a bitch. You have no idea what I went through to get my hands on those diamonds. I lost some of my respect when the deal went sideways. I have every intention of making them see I never forget.” Sanchez was more worried about his reputation and I would say some people were talking behind his back.

“I can see there’s no reasoning with you. The only thing you want is the diamonds. It’s the one thing I can’t give you. Gillian will know where her share of the diamonds is located, but the rest remain out there in limbo. If I were Gillian and the team of Navy Seals, I would make sure the diamonds were never in the same place. I would be paranoid and keep moving them around.” It did sound like a good idea, but it wasn’t one that we had come up with.

“I’m usually a very patient man, but this year has shown me that loyalty can be fleeting. I bet you didn’t know I promised the men who accompanied me a portion of the profits. Normally, I would only have to snap my fingers and they would obey without question. I want those days back and will go to the extreme to make it happen.” Sanchez was a man without a country and this exercise was his way of getting his foot back in the door.

“I have no doubt of your sincerity. I can’t figure out what you expect to accomplish with this insanity. You’ve already said it yourself. She doesn’t love me in the same way I carry a torch for her. One whiff of danger and she would have hightailed it out of this town. I wouldn’t blame her. Everything you are doing might be for nothing.” Sanchez had lost favor with his people after he was found lying helpless at the scene on that fateful day in January.

I had followed his decline from his throne of power. It wasn’t slow and gradual. Losing the diamonds had left him with a lot of questions he couldn’t answer. I’d heard through the Grapevine that he had made a solemn vow to track down those responsible. He just couldn’t get any traction.

“I thought coming here would find her cowering in fear at my feet. I should have waited until I could verify she was inside the estate. I wallowed in self-pity with no discernible leads until a family member came to me with your announcement. I had no choice but to act.” The two men with him began to pummel Grant into a pulp.

They didn’t avoid the face and continued until Sanchez put up his hand to cease further hostilities. They went back to their post by the door.

I had a feeling their silence was courtesy of somebody relieving them of their tongues. They were the last of the old guard. When his reign of power came tumbling down on top of him, these two scattered until I heard an inkling of a rumor they had resurfaced.