Chapter Thirteen
Ben carefully looked over the small piece of paper in his hands. He raised his eyes to glance at Alice who sat beside him on the couch. She gave his hand a reassuring squeeze.
He turned his gaze to the diminutive woman sitting opposite of them. "And you're sure this could work?" He held up the paper.
"Young man, one thing you can always rely on is my memory." Tilda tapped her temple with a forefinger. "What I just gave you is so damning, so damaging that if the right people saw it, they would go to extraordinary lengths to see to it that it stays where it is. Buried and hidden away."
She reached for her coffee resting on the table between her and the couple. "I guarantee you on the grave of my dear mother that if you want out of a jam, that will get you out completely … and for good."
Ben glanced at the paper again, still not convinced. Alice gave his hand another squeeze.
#
Reggie paced in front of the dining table for perhaps the twentieth time. The largest of the Kuroqi bodyguards stood alone on the other side of the table. His eyes followed Reggie's every movement each time he passed the closed cases of cash. His weapon was holstered by order of Her Royal Highness, but visible for maximum effect.
The princess sighed in frustration as she sat drumming her fingers at the head of the table. "If you do not stop that annoying marching, I will have these men shoot you where you stand," she declared irritably. "For the love of everything that is holy, please … sit."
Reggie started to say something but thought better of it as the bodyguards turned their heads in his direction. He smiled nervously as he made his way to a chair two spots down from the princess directly in front of the middle case and settled into the seat. The bodyguard behind it gave a nod of approval.
"With all due respect, Your Highness, I must insist that you rethink this plan. I - I have had dealings with this man for years. We must have worked a dozen jobs and you think that he would remember my name by now, but noooo!" He laughed bitterly. "He turned on his own sister not once but twice to solidify his holdings here in L.A. I trust him as far as I can throw him."
The princess gave him a disbelieving look. "And what should I say about you, Mr. Lennox? It was my understanding that Ben begged you to leave the city when he was going through with his plan to go rogue, and what did you do? You turned on him."
The suite entrance opened behind Reggie as the princess spoke. "Yes, the relationships we've fostered always seemed to have been built on betrayal, eh Reggie?"
Reggie turned in his chair to watch Rhys walk in the dining room ahead of Troy and the other two bodyguards. He gave Reggie a thin smile before stopping before the princess and bowing at the waist. He held the pose for several seconds before straightening.
"Your Highness, it would be an honor and privilege to act as your intermediary as I handle negotiations between yourself and Oliver Griffiths." He smiled as he adjusted his blazer. "I guarantee complete success."
The princess slowly rose from her seat. "A part of me wants to contact the FBI and have them come for you, Mr. Griffiths. But I believe Ben and Alice are good people. Anything other than your continued existence would bring them much pain. Hence, the cash."
"I told the princess that you stand the best chance to track down your crazy uncle and cousins and arrange a meeting." Reggie glanced down at the briefcases. "Hopefully thirty million will help them turn the other cheek."
Rhys nodded as he slapped the palms of his hands together. "Right. And I have the perfect idea on how we can make contact."
Raymond Taggart is one of the remaining bosses in the city who didn't fall in with my wayward relatives, but I know he's been contacted. We reach out to him.
We'll get him to do the work for us.
"Raymond, old chap. That mess with Margot a couple of months ago, it was just business. You have to see that."
Rhys smiled as he pointed to the phone against his ear and gave his audience a thumbs up while they sat outside on the balcony. "Yes, that young lady is indeed Ben and Margot's daughter, which would make her my niece, which would make Ben justified in breaking your wrist for threatening her."
He flashed another smile at Reggie, Troy and the princess while holding the phone several inches from his ear. "Raymond, if you could just stop yelling for a second, I would be more than happy to explain how you could be compensated."
The princess shook her head as she turned to look out over the city. "Who is this Raymond Taggart? Another one of the city's scrupulous criminals?"
"Rhys' sister, with the help of Ben and their daughter acquired a substantial amount of manpower from Taggart's organization," Troy stated in a factual tone as he recalled the information from his flawless memory. "Taggart has been trying to recover ever since, which may be the reason why his organization hasn't been consolidated into Rhys' uncle's new group."
With a bounce in his step, Rhys stepped out onto the spacious balcony. "Taggart is in agreement, provided he is provided a bit of … compensation."
The princess expelled a weary sigh. "How much?"
"Not to worry, my dear. Consider it a check to be cashed later. When he obtains my evil uncle's location, he'll forward that information to me and we'll go meet him."
The princess glanced over her shoulder at Troy and Reggie who gave her an uncertain shrug. She returned her gaze back to Rhys and nodded.
"Then we'll await his call."
#
Alice replaced the phone on the receiver and turned to her guests. "Shawn and the security team searched the house and the surrounding area," she said. "Rhys is gone."
Ben sighed as he leaned back in the couch. "I swear I will never fully know what goes on in his head."
Alice did not reply. Instead she grinned at Valerie who stood beside her desk. Val returned the mischievous look.
Ben noted the exchange and slowly rose to his feet. "I haven't seen you two this happy since you found me at Virginia Foster's house for that wedding. Out with it."
"Well, we decided that we are done trusting anyone with a British accent," said Val. "I had Danny install trackers in the burners we gave Margot and Rhys. They would have to practically take them apart to find them."
Alice sat down at her desk and accessed her laptop. "Let's see. Rhys' signal is strong. Very strong. I … "
She fell silent as she stared at her computer in confusion. "Allie? What's wrong?" asked Ben.
She finally looked up at him and Valerie.
"He's across the street."
#
"You're not familiar with men like Raymond Taggert, Your Gracefulness, so allow me to do all the talking," said Rhys as he led the princess to the door of her suite. Reggie and Troy trailed close behind followed by the Kuroqi bodyguards. Each one easily hefted a suitcase.
Princess Zara frowned at him. "So I am suppose to trust you to negotiate this on my behalf? Doesn't your uncle want you and your sister dead?"
Rhys grinned at her as he reached for the doorknob. "In all my years I have dealt with many complex characters and believe me when I say it will be a welcome change for me to deal with Taggart than it would be with the likes of Alice Vaughan."
He opened the door and turned to step out into the hallway but was greeted with a solid jab to his nose. He immediately backed away, grasping at his face with both hands as his eyes watered. "Ow! What the bloody hell?!"
Alice slowly stepped inside the suite, shaking feeling into her brace supported right hand as her left clutched a pistol. She coolly surveyed the entranceway and noted Zara, Troy and Reggie's appearance as well as that of the bodyguards behind them who stood with weapons drawn.
Rhys glared through his fingers at Alice. "What in blazes was that for?!"
Exasperated, Alice nearly raised her weapon at him but the motion was blocked by Ben who followed her inside. "Take it easy, Allie," he cautioned, directing Alice's gun hand back down to her side. "I'm sure Rhys has a perfectly good explanation for him leaving the safe house and being here in the princess's suite."
He finally took notice of the other occupants in the room as well as the large suitcases resting on the floor. Ben's eyes turned to Rhys with a steely glare.
"What are you up to now?"
#
Ben whistled as he took in the sight of the suitcases' contents as they laid open on the table once again. "This reminds me of the time when -"
Alice playfully held up a finger. "Oh no. I don't need to hear that," she warned.
They both turned from the dining room table to face the princess. Troy and Reggie stood a few feet behind her. "Whose idea was this? His?" Alice pointed an accusing finger at Rhys who stood leaning against the far wall with an ice pack against his face. "I'm surprised he hasn't tried to run out of here with the money."
Rhys started to object but Princess Zara stepped forward. "It was mine, Alice. I obtained the money through the royal family's accounts here in an attempt to bring this to an amicable close."
Alice gave her a sad smile. "And it's appreciated, Zara. Really, it is. But for us to bring this to a close for good, we have to give the FBI something. This … this wouldn't work." She indicated the suitcases.
"Wait a minute." Ben eyed Rhys. "You were going to meet with your uncle after Taggart gets you his location?"
Rhys winced as he removed the ice pack. "Well I bloody well can't go now looking like this!" He pointed to the purple rings arching underneath his eyes.
"It would have been a bad idea to go anyway." Alice crossed her arms. "No telling what direction Oliver Griffiths is leaning but at least one of your cousins want you dead."
A faint buzzing from Rhys' mobile phone interrupted the conversation. He opened it and peered at the screen. "Taggart came through. My dear uncle and at least one of his daughters are at a restaurant right now enjoying a meal. Orchid's the name. Korean-style cuisine."
"I know where it is." Ben looked over at the princess. "Under these circumstances, I think it's better for you to stay here with Alice, Zara. I'll handle this."
Alice scoffed at the announcement as she extracted her phone from her jacket. "Like hell. You don't need to be out and about anywhere yourself."
"Allie, please. You're -"
She had her phone to her ear while cutting him off with a stern look and finger to his lips as she stepped out onto the balcony, closing the door behind her. Ben looked over at Rhys who shrugged in return with a dry smile.
"Oh Benji. Trouble in paradise?"
Ben pointed a finger at him. "Watch it. That nose isn't broken yet but one more door knock should do it."
Alice reappeared from outside, sliding her phone back into her jacket pocket. "I have a plan where we can pretty much kill not one, not two, but three birds with one stone. All you have to do is trust me. Okay?"
She held her hands out to Ben who took them with his own, careful of her injured wrist as he looked into her eyes. "You know I do, Al, but what's up your sleeve?"
Alice grinned.
"Operation: Millennial."
#
Oliver Griffiths grinned as he swiped an eggroll from the plate of his eldest daughter. She glared at him as she pulled her plate close. "Oi! Stop taking my food!"
Griffiths plopped the egg roll in his mouth and licked his fingertips. "Have you ever had Korean food, Ani? It is quite a delicacy."
"No, Father. I'm afraid that my experience with Korean cuisine began today." Anastasia Griffiths scooped up a forkful of rice from her plate. "I told you that we didn't have time for the luxury of a meal. Your nephew is in the wind and our sources haven't been able to find him."
The two sat alone at one of several tableside grills in the restaurant. A few other guests were gathered at the grills enjoying their meals while waitresses milled about with drinks and other items.
A young girl sat next to an older woman at the closest grill with a stuffed toy in her lap. Oliver smiled and gave her a small wave. He laughed when she waved back.
"Father, are you hearing me?"
"I heard you, girl. We'll find that sniveling cod soon enough, my dear. Believe me." He reached for a pint of beer resting by his empty plate. "My nephew has no resources, no allies, not even a disloyal sister to fall back on. It'll only be a matter of time."
He returned his attention to the young girl with the doll who was preparing to depart with her companion. She reached for her doll on the table and gave him one final wave before heading to the exit.
Oliver took a healthy swig and set the glass down, noting a beautiful redhead stepped into view in the foyer, garbed in a white and blue floral printed dress he knew was not bought off the rack. She eyed the interior of the restaurant as she spoke with the hostess for several seconds. The hostess nodded and led the woman down the steps, making their way to the grilling area Oliver and Anastasia occupied.
"We need to arrange another meet and greet with the remaining organizations out there in the city," said Anastasia as she watched the woman take a seat four spots down from Oliver on the opposite corner. "Some of them are too dangerous to be left to their own devices."
Oliver dismissed the notion with a wave of his hand. "Pointless. They're not worth a minute of our time. We have all that we need already."
He eyed the red haired woman as she scanned her menu while scrolling through her phone, laughing silently to herself at something on the screen. She set the phone down after a minute and concentrated on her selection.
Oliver reached over and tapped the table with his finger to get the woman's attention. "If you're looking for a decent dish, try the dakgangjeong. Spicy Korean chicken plate."
The woman flipped her menu over. "Is that what you had?" She pointed at his plate.
"Aye, it's hard to get authentic Korean dishes in the U.S. unless you're in L.A., Florida, or New York. Basically the major cities." Oliver smiled. "I would certainly like to tell you about the small spot down the street from my loft. Certainly five star."
The woman continued smiling as she returned her attention to her menu. Anastasia sighed audibly. "Shot down again. I swear, can you ever take the hint?"
Oliver ignored his daughter. "And I would love to take you for a scenic stroll after dinner. The sights are just to die for. Will make you want to forget about whatever poor sap you have back home."
The woman placed her menu on the table before turning her head in his direction. "Sorry but the poor sap? He's a keeper. It took me a while to get him … on the straight and narrow." She smiled with a gleeful glint in her eye. "But I tell you what. Let's play a game."
Anastasia rolled her eyes and reached for her purse as she rose from her seat. "Well while you're trying to catch something, Katherine and I will continue the search for our wayward cousin."
The redhead nodded up at the woman as she came up to her seat. "Nice to meet you."
"Ugh." Anastasia continued past her towards three men who had just stepped into view at the register. The men quickly slid out of her way as she stepped past, not breaking stride.
The woman shrugged before returning her attention to Oliver who somehow slid down a seat closer without her noticing.
"Where were we?"
The woman smirked again. "A game. You said that you had a loft. I bet I can guess where it's located."
"I bet you can't." Oliver began to stretch out for his beer he left by his plate. "It's not around the corner, that's for sure."
"How about Venice?"
His hand stopped less than an inch from the glass at the mention of his adoptive city. The smile slowly faded from his countenance. He took a deep breath and exhaled as he straightened in his chair while reaching into his jacket.
"No no no." The woman wagged a finger at him as she lowered her voice to a conspiratorial tone. "I wouldn't advise that. You see, I'm not alone."
Oliver frowned for a second before slowly taking a look around the restaurant. The three men he saw enter earlier were staged in a booth over to the side of the restaurant looking at them. One stood leaning against the booth, a handsome fellow with a military build held his jacket open displaying the holstered weapon inside under his arm.
"My security team," the woman announced with an air of pride. "That one with the weapon is former Special Forces. The one with the sunglasses and leather gloves is a former assassin.
Oliver leaned in close and whispered with conspiratory air, "And the third dreamboat?"
She leaned in close. "He keeps them in line."
Oliver whistled and shook his head. "Oh to have him keep me in line."
They both grinned as a waitress dropped off another glass of beer for Oliver and gazed expectedly at the new arrival. "Be a dear and bring back a bottle of your best sake. My treat," said Oliver, passing the waitress a folded fifty dollar bill.
The woman smiled. "A drinking lunch? I'll partake of that. I'm really here to find out what will it take for you to leave Rhys Griffiths alone."
"Hmm, let's see." Oliver rubbed his chin. "Anything's on the table?"
The woman shrugged. "Within reason."
Oliver nodded, sitting back in his chair and folding his arms. "My terms are simple: complete and uncontested control of the Kensington Firm and all its holdings and assets both domestic and international."
The woman's brow furrowed as if deep in thought. "That may prove to be very difficult."
Oliver reached for his drink. "Oh? Why?"
The woman held off answering as the waitress arrived with a tray which she set on the table between her and Oliver. The waitress poured the blue and brown bottle's contents into two small cups and passed them to her customers before disappearing.
Oliver stared at the cup in his hand without raising it to take a sip. "Why would it be so hard, dear?"
#
Agent Shawn slid into the booth beside Danny. "What are we doing here? Alice and this guy are just talking. Aren't we going to take him in?"
The Hammer pulled a handkerchief from his jacket. "Cause and effect."
Shawn raised an eyebrow. "Cause and effect?"
"Cause and effect," the Hammer repeated as he cleaned the lenses of his sunglasses. "She asked you to display your weapon to him when he glanced this way. It effectively caused him to consider his options."
Shawn looked over at Danny who shrugged. "I don't think that's the meaning but we'll roll with it," he said, glancing at the front door of the restaurant as it opened.
His eyes widened in surprise as he took in the appearance of the newcomer, a handsome man dressed in a custom made suit. He smiled at the hostess and followed her down the stairs to where Alice and Oliver Griffiths sat.
"What the hell?"
The Hammer glanced over at the new arrival. "Who's he?"
Danny sighed as he watched the man pull up a chair close and sat between Alice and Oliver. "The only thirty-something in the world who thinks he's a millennial." Danny chuckled to himself. "Meet Tommy Vaughan. Alice's younger brother."
#
