Chapter Four: Playing the Game
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Staring at the huge, dark double doors in front of him, the question of him really being able to do this raced through Danny's mind. After all, the Professor was a well-known con artist himself, so he would naturally be suspicious of people. That was coupled with the fact that Nessa had tricked him before into thinking that she wanted to join him. What chance did Danny stand of making the man think that he was on the level? Glancing back at the long hallway behind him, the tall, brown-haired man noticed that Leah was still standing where he had left her a few paces back. With a smile, the petite woman with short brown hair with blonde streaks mouthed the words good luck. Nodding, Danny took a deep breath and opened the doors.
A brick patio sparsely decorated with a few potted plants awaited him on the other side. In the middle of the patio was a white wicker table and two chairs, one of which was occupied by an older man with curly hair. Danny immediately recognized this man as the Professor. A couple of empty wine glasses resting on the table gleamed in the light of the morning sun.
"Mr. McCoy!" the Professor greeted, rising from his seat. "It is an honor to finally meet you officially."
"You." Danny said in a mixture of surprise and anger. While he had to work on the surprise part, the anger came naturally to him. After all, the man standing in front of him was a known enemy of the Montecito, and was out to hurt people who meant a lot to Danny.
Suddenly, the ex-Marine noticed a movement out of the corner of his eye and turned his attention to the roof. A man dressed in black clothing and holding a rifle suddenly ducked behind the chimney again, out of Danny's view. A sniper!
"More troubling are the ones that you can't see." the Professor smiled, noticing Danny's reaction and what had caused it. Looking back at the man in front of him, Danny was definitely more worried than before. Why in the hell were snipers necessary? What was the Professor planning to do? His eyes instinctively darted around the patio, scanning for something he could use for possible cover if need be. "Although, I must admit that I'm impressed. Most people wouldn't have caught that, as obvious as it was, at all." An approving smile appeared on the older man's face. "Must come from your years as a Marine."
"How did you…" a surprised Danny started, looking back at the older man.
"Know about that?" the Professor finished as Danny nodded. "I've done my research on you, Mr. McCoy." Slowly, he sat back down in his chair, facing Danny. The curly haired man casually nodded at the roof. "They are only here to ensure my safety. Keep your cool, and you needn't fear yours." He motioned at the chair across the table from him. "Come and sit down."
Taking one last look at the roof above him, Danny slowly walked over and sat down across from the older man, who was watching him with a look of interest prevalent on his face.
"I suppose you'd like to know what you're doing here, Danny." the Professor started before looking curiously at the younger man. "It is all right if I call you Danny, right?"
"That's my name." Danny shrugged casually. He knew that the Professor would know by now that McCoy really wasn't one for formalities, and would prefer a more casual setting.
"Good." the Professor nodded before continuing on. "You are here, because I've heard strange rumors lately." Danny noticed that the older man began to watch his reactions more closely, so he would have to work harder to make everything seem more realistic. "Rumors that not all is well at the Montecito. Rumors that there is some rift between Ed Deline and his young protégé."
A slightly stunned look quickly appeared on Danny's face as he processed what the older man had just said. It would make the older man think that Danny was surprised that someone knew about that, but in reality, Danny was amazed that Luis' mole had really been able to act so fast. He would have to compliment Perez on his sources.
"That look on your face confirms it." the Professor smiled, "The rumors are true."
"Why do you care?" a curious Danny wondered, "I mean, besides the fact that you want revenge on Ed and the Montecito?"
Saying nothing in response, the Professor simply produced a bottle of wine from a nearby bucket of ice. Pouring himself a glass, he looked carefully at Danny.
"Care for a drink?" the Professor asked.
Looking closely at the glass in front of him, Danny was suddenly suspicious that it had been tampered with in some way. Although there were no visible signs of it, it didn't rule out that it wasn't lined with some sort of nearly invisible drug or poison. Looking at the other man, he simply shook his head.
"Not thirsty?" the Professor inquired, taking the glass away from Danny.
"Unfortunately," Danny replied, nodding at the glass. "I can't be sure that you didn't mess with it in some way."
"Very good." the Professor complimented as he threw the glass on the brick patio. As it shattered into numerous pieces, Danny simply stared at the older man in front of him. "That was a test to see what shape your instincts were in. The glass was lined with a colorless, odorless and tasteless poison. Of course, it wasn't enough to kill you, but it was enough to cause you extreme pain for awhile." He looked amazed. "Impeccable! No wonder Ed hired you."
"Thank you." Danny said before frowning slightly. "I'd still like to know what exactly I'm doing here."
"Fair enough." the Professor said before leaning forward. "I want you to join me, Danny."
"Join you?" Danny repeated, hoping he sounded surprised. "Why would I want to do that?"
"I can ensure that you get the one thing you should already have." the Professor replied before smiling. "How does Danny McCoy, president of day-to-day operations at the Montecito sound to you?"
"Ed's job." a surprised Danny realized.
"Exactly." the Professor confirmed.
"So, what would you gain out of all of this?" Danny asked, suspicious of the offer.
"A few things." the Professor revealed before gesturing with his fingers. "First, you allow me to get revenge on the Montecito by pulling one last heist there." He paused and looked sincerely at Danny. "Of course, it would be orchestrated in such a way to guarantee that Mr. Brunson would fire Ed, and promote you."
"What else?" Danny wondered, knowing that that couldn't be all.
"Your vow that, once your position is secured, that you would never help to stop me or my organization in the future and that you would actually provide me with aid from time to time." the Professor replied as Danny nodded. "In return, we would eliminate the Montecito as a target, and I would personally make sure that nothing is ever traced back to you." He looked earnestly at the younger man. "What do you say?"
"This is a lot to think about." Danny said as he leaned back in his chair. "How can I be sure that you'll do what you've said?" He paused and grinned slightly. "And how can you be sure that I'm not just going to tell the authorities what you're planning?"
"Because you can't tell them anything more at this point than they already know." the Professor smiled, "Except for my location, and I'll have moved on before you're out of shooting range anyway." He finally leaned back again in his seat. "We both know that I'm going to make a move against the Montecito, Danny. Either you can be one of the many causalities, or you can gain from this venture."
"I'm going to need some time to think about this." Danny replied, rubbing the back of his neck. Like Luis had said earlier, he knew that it would be too suspicious if he agreed to join right away.
"I understand." the Professor nodded as he rose from his seat. "I will give you a few days to think about what I've just said, but you must promise me that our conversation will never leave this patio."
"Are you kidding?" Danny chuckled, "Ed would kill me if he knew that I had even said hello to you." Getting to his feet, the ex-Marine nodded in agreement. "I promise that I won't say a word to anyone about this."
"That's a good man." the Professor said, clapping Danny on the shoulder. "I will have Leah contact you with the details on how to get a hold of me to let me know what you've decided." He offered his hand. "It has been a pleasure, my young friend."
"Likewise." Danny said, shaking the older man's hand.
To be continued...
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Staring at the huge, dark double doors in front of him, the question of him really being able to do this raced through Danny's mind. After all, the Professor was a well-known con artist himself, so he would naturally be suspicious of people. That was coupled with the fact that Nessa had tricked him before into thinking that she wanted to join him. What chance did Danny stand of making the man think that he was on the level? Glancing back at the long hallway behind him, the tall, brown-haired man noticed that Leah was still standing where he had left her a few paces back. With a smile, the petite woman with short brown hair with blonde streaks mouthed the words good luck. Nodding, Danny took a deep breath and opened the doors.
A brick patio sparsely decorated with a few potted plants awaited him on the other side. In the middle of the patio was a white wicker table and two chairs, one of which was occupied by an older man with curly hair. Danny immediately recognized this man as the Professor. A couple of empty wine glasses resting on the table gleamed in the light of the morning sun.
"Mr. McCoy!" the Professor greeted, rising from his seat. "It is an honor to finally meet you officially."
"You." Danny said in a mixture of surprise and anger. While he had to work on the surprise part, the anger came naturally to him. After all, the man standing in front of him was a known enemy of the Montecito, and was out to hurt people who meant a lot to Danny.
Suddenly, the ex-Marine noticed a movement out of the corner of his eye and turned his attention to the roof. A man dressed in black clothing and holding a rifle suddenly ducked behind the chimney again, out of Danny's view. A sniper!
"More troubling are the ones that you can't see." the Professor smiled, noticing Danny's reaction and what had caused it. Looking back at the man in front of him, Danny was definitely more worried than before. Why in the hell were snipers necessary? What was the Professor planning to do? His eyes instinctively darted around the patio, scanning for something he could use for possible cover if need be. "Although, I must admit that I'm impressed. Most people wouldn't have caught that, as obvious as it was, at all." An approving smile appeared on the older man's face. "Must come from your years as a Marine."
"How did you…" a surprised Danny started, looking back at the older man.
"Know about that?" the Professor finished as Danny nodded. "I've done my research on you, Mr. McCoy." Slowly, he sat back down in his chair, facing Danny. The curly haired man casually nodded at the roof. "They are only here to ensure my safety. Keep your cool, and you needn't fear yours." He motioned at the chair across the table from him. "Come and sit down."
Taking one last look at the roof above him, Danny slowly walked over and sat down across from the older man, who was watching him with a look of interest prevalent on his face.
"I suppose you'd like to know what you're doing here, Danny." the Professor started before looking curiously at the younger man. "It is all right if I call you Danny, right?"
"That's my name." Danny shrugged casually. He knew that the Professor would know by now that McCoy really wasn't one for formalities, and would prefer a more casual setting.
"Good." the Professor nodded before continuing on. "You are here, because I've heard strange rumors lately." Danny noticed that the older man began to watch his reactions more closely, so he would have to work harder to make everything seem more realistic. "Rumors that not all is well at the Montecito. Rumors that there is some rift between Ed Deline and his young protégé."
A slightly stunned look quickly appeared on Danny's face as he processed what the older man had just said. It would make the older man think that Danny was surprised that someone knew about that, but in reality, Danny was amazed that Luis' mole had really been able to act so fast. He would have to compliment Perez on his sources.
"That look on your face confirms it." the Professor smiled, "The rumors are true."
"Why do you care?" a curious Danny wondered, "I mean, besides the fact that you want revenge on Ed and the Montecito?"
Saying nothing in response, the Professor simply produced a bottle of wine from a nearby bucket of ice. Pouring himself a glass, he looked carefully at Danny.
"Care for a drink?" the Professor asked.
Looking closely at the glass in front of him, Danny was suddenly suspicious that it had been tampered with in some way. Although there were no visible signs of it, it didn't rule out that it wasn't lined with some sort of nearly invisible drug or poison. Looking at the other man, he simply shook his head.
"Not thirsty?" the Professor inquired, taking the glass away from Danny.
"Unfortunately," Danny replied, nodding at the glass. "I can't be sure that you didn't mess with it in some way."
"Very good." the Professor complimented as he threw the glass on the brick patio. As it shattered into numerous pieces, Danny simply stared at the older man in front of him. "That was a test to see what shape your instincts were in. The glass was lined with a colorless, odorless and tasteless poison. Of course, it wasn't enough to kill you, but it was enough to cause you extreme pain for awhile." He looked amazed. "Impeccable! No wonder Ed hired you."
"Thank you." Danny said before frowning slightly. "I'd still like to know what exactly I'm doing here."
"Fair enough." the Professor said before leaning forward. "I want you to join me, Danny."
"Join you?" Danny repeated, hoping he sounded surprised. "Why would I want to do that?"
"I can ensure that you get the one thing you should already have." the Professor replied before smiling. "How does Danny McCoy, president of day-to-day operations at the Montecito sound to you?"
"Ed's job." a surprised Danny realized.
"Exactly." the Professor confirmed.
"So, what would you gain out of all of this?" Danny asked, suspicious of the offer.
"A few things." the Professor revealed before gesturing with his fingers. "First, you allow me to get revenge on the Montecito by pulling one last heist there." He paused and looked sincerely at Danny. "Of course, it would be orchestrated in such a way to guarantee that Mr. Brunson would fire Ed, and promote you."
"What else?" Danny wondered, knowing that that couldn't be all.
"Your vow that, once your position is secured, that you would never help to stop me or my organization in the future and that you would actually provide me with aid from time to time." the Professor replied as Danny nodded. "In return, we would eliminate the Montecito as a target, and I would personally make sure that nothing is ever traced back to you." He looked earnestly at the younger man. "What do you say?"
"This is a lot to think about." Danny said as he leaned back in his chair. "How can I be sure that you'll do what you've said?" He paused and grinned slightly. "And how can you be sure that I'm not just going to tell the authorities what you're planning?"
"Because you can't tell them anything more at this point than they already know." the Professor smiled, "Except for my location, and I'll have moved on before you're out of shooting range anyway." He finally leaned back again in his seat. "We both know that I'm going to make a move against the Montecito, Danny. Either you can be one of the many causalities, or you can gain from this venture."
"I'm going to need some time to think about this." Danny replied, rubbing the back of his neck. Like Luis had said earlier, he knew that it would be too suspicious if he agreed to join right away.
"I understand." the Professor nodded as he rose from his seat. "I will give you a few days to think about what I've just said, but you must promise me that our conversation will never leave this patio."
"Are you kidding?" Danny chuckled, "Ed would kill me if he knew that I had even said hello to you." Getting to his feet, the ex-Marine nodded in agreement. "I promise that I won't say a word to anyone about this."
"That's a good man." the Professor said, clapping Danny on the shoulder. "I will have Leah contact you with the details on how to get a hold of me to let me know what you've decided." He offered his hand. "It has been a pleasure, my young friend."
"Likewise." Danny said, shaking the older man's hand.
To be continued...