Nix. (Den of Mercenaries Book 3)(99)

“I’ve come to offer you a deal.”

“A deal?” Uilleam scoffed. “You must be truly desperate seeking aid from me.”

“Desperate?” Elias asked with a laugh. “I’m merely offering you the opportunity to continue as you are without further interruption. I see no reason why we can’t work together.”

“Unless we’re forgetting that you took something from me, yes?”

“An eye for an eye, Uilleam. You mustn’t live in the past—not if you hope to have a future.”

Maybe he would have his eyes removed, Uilleam thought as he studied the other man—have them taken out with a rusted spoon. Perhaps even dangled one of the severed eyeballs in front of his face so he could see what it looked like outside of his skull.

It was with that thought in mind that Uilleam said, “Tell me more of this deal.”

“A truce is a better word, I believe, but that’s neither here nor there. It has come to my attention that a deal was struck with Carmen Rivera. You’ve agreed to dispose of her husband, isn’t that right?”

Uilleam had enough practice schooling his features to ensure that he didn’t betray his emotions, especially when someone took him by surprise.

Very few knew about that arrangement, and fewer than that knew the details. He didn’t make it a habit to speak of the jobs he took to anyone other than the mercenary he assigned to it. He knew with absolute certainty that Luna didn’t know Elias and even if she had, she wouldn’t have spoken to him about it.

And from his understanding, Elias worked for Carmen’s husband, not her—so he would have an interest in keeping his client alive.

That begged the question, how did he know?

“I’m willing to make it easy on you by not informing my client that you’re attempting to kill him. Whatever plan you have in place can come to fruition without any hindrance from me.”

“What would you want in return?”

“The girl.”

“I know many of those.” But Uilleam had a feeling he knew who the other man meant.

“Carmen’s daughter—I believe you’re calling her Calavera these days? You keep a leash on her.”

Now, it was Uilleam’s turn to laugh. “This deal of yours sounds awfully one-sided. I’ve yet to hear how this would benefit me. Your offer to make killing Carmen’s husband easy? I have no need when my mercenaries don’t need easy, or have you forgotten how well they were able to get to you?”

Niklaus had found a name, and Kyrnon had successfully killed a business deal that would have garnered him millions.

That was all done while Uilleam had been uninspired. He was still warming up.

“Karina was a lovely girl, wasn’t she?” Elias asked. “She had to be to hold your interest for so long. Tell me, what did she think of you when you confessed who you were? I imagine she didn’t take it well. Her leaving you had made it all too easy getting to her. Perhaps you should have spent more time preparing her for your legion of enemies instead of—”

“I don’t deal in idle threats, Mr. Harrington, so know that should you finish that statement, I will have him kill everyone here,”—this he said with the slightest nod to a now smiling Skorpion—“before I take you to a room where I will spend the next hour learning what devices will make you scream the most.”

“Until my business is complete with Carmen Rivera,” Elias said with narrowed eyes, ignoring Uilleam’s words, “she is off-limits to you and to Carmen’s daughter. Luna Santiago died seven years ago, she needs to remain that way. Once my business is complete, do what you will.”

It sounded too easy, and Uilleam knew that the best things didn’t come without a cost.

“Are you saying that you will hand Carmen over?”

Elias nodded. “And the girl can exact whatever punishment she deems worthy, but only once our business is done.”

Interesting.

“And you?” Uilleam asked then.

“This will be the last time we see each other in person, I’m afraid. If we’re to meet again, it won’t end the way you expect. Think over my proposition, Kingmaker—you have twenty-six hours.” Elias stood, smoothing the front of his suit jacket as he buttoned it. “I’ll be seeing you.”

“Did you know,” Uilleam said before he could take more than a step away from the table, “you should never tell an alligator it has a big mouth until after you’ve crossed the river?”

Confusion played on the man’s face before he smoothed his features, fiddling with his ear a moment before answering. “Kingmaker.”

With that, he exited the bistro, taking his men with him until it was only Uilleam and Skorpion left sitting inside.

Folding his arms across his chest after tipping his hat up, Skorpion asked, “Did you get what you came for?”

“Of course.”

Skorpion’s brows jumped as he frowned. “He didn’t say shit.”

“It’s what he didn’t say that’s important,” Uilleam said, more to himself than his associate. “Carmen has something he needs—why else would he both be trying to protect her and offering to let her be killed in the same breath?”

He understood all too well how someone’s usefulness could disappearance at a moment’s notice.