Amusement filled his dull blue eyes. “Ah, I see,” he said, then sat up. “I have other business to attend to. Tell me what you think I can do for you.”
I didn’t need to beat around the bush with this. The faster I was out of here, the less damage control I had to take care of. “Are you familiar with the name Arturo Garza?”
Recognition flashed in his eyes, followed by a sigh. “Yes, I am, and no, I don’t know where the painting is. Is that all?”
Shit. Of course several others had gotten to him about this.
We really didn’t have much time.
“I’m not here about the painting,” I said, which had the man frowning. “I’m here about the manor.”
His brows shot up. “Ah…”
“Yes. I heard there was a sale recently… I need to know who the buyer was.”
He watched me for a few seconds before asking, “What makes you think I’d know?”
“Because you wouldn’t have asked me that question if you didn’t know anything.”
His lips tugged up at one corner. “Well, I don’t know the name of the person who bought the manor, but I know the name of the man who was in charge of the manor prior to the sale. I also know that he’ll be coming to Mexico next week to finalize things with the anonymous buyer.”
I nodded. “What’s the name of the man in charge?”
Yaroslav’s smile widened. “Do you think I’ll just hand you that information for free? Come on, Faizan.”
I ground my teeth, glaring at him. “What do you want? Money?”
He rolled his eyes. “Please, don’t insult me.”
My phone buzzed in my pocket. I ignored it, keeping my eyes on Yaroslav. “Then tell me what you want and I’ll have it delivered.”
“No need for the trouble. I need intel. An address.”
I blinked. “For who?”
“E2. You’ve heard of the assassin, yes?”
I frowned, recognizing the name, having heard it from Manuel several times.
EvenIhave been in close contact with that name.
E2 was a private, faceless assassin who worked jobs for people in the Mafia, or cartel lords who wanted to get a jobdone, clean, smooth, and quiet. E2 was also the best assassin in the underground business for three reasons. One, they were efficient and always got the job done without mistakes; two, nobody knew who they were, if they were male or female; and three, because you cannot find a killer that doesn’t exist.
E2 came at a very high price, meaning you would have to be ready to pay for them to get the job done. Sometimes, the pay wasn’t money; it was information. Valuable information that made it difficult for them to be targeted or even traced.
“I have heard of them, yes,” I said.
“Good. I have been trying to get ahold of the assassin for years, but is like they dropped off the face of the earth. I know you have done business with them in the past; do you know where to find them now?”
I shook my head. “No. When I hired the assassin we didn’t talk long enough to help me determine their whereabouts. When they got my job done, I never heard from them again.”
Yaroslav deflated. “I suspected as much… Maybe you can help me with something else then?”
“I—”
“There’s someone I need you to meet. I owe her a favor and she’s cashing it in by wanting to meet you.”
This got my attention. “Who?”
