Chapter 28
“Well, I’ll be damned.”
Terry stared at the memo in his hand, fresh from his Central America analyst.
He re-read it, then moved to his encrypted phone and made a call.
Half an hour later, Terry watched Sloan approach the barista and order tea, then stiffly mount the stairs to where Terry was already sitting in the Starbucks lounge area.
“I heard,” he said by way of greeting to Terry.
Terry reclined in his overstuffed lounge chair and toasted Sloan with his beverage.
“Amazing, don’t you think?”
Sloan nodded. “That’s why you want to spread your bets around. You can never be sure how things will turn out. A smart man has a foot in all camps and positions himself to prosper no matter what the outcome.”
“That sounds like something from a fortune cookie,” Terry said. “How the hell did they take out, what, sixteen men? Maybe I should hire them.”
“I have a feeling they aren’t available.” Sloan took a sip of his tea, rolling it around in his mouth before setting the cup down on the small table between them.
“So what now?” Terry asked.
“We move to plan B. We still have the new governor general coming into office. Once he’s situated, he’ll suggest to the prime minister that the government look hard at the oil prospecting rights that have been assigned, and terminate any outstanding prospecting licenses that have passed their mandated end date. So far they’ve just let them sort of drift along, hoping something good happens. Ending the licenses is a reasonable step, and within the government’s power. He will then propose that Belize find a strategic partner for its oil exploration moving forward – a group with clout.”
“Responsible adults,” Terry agreed.
“That’s right. A few weeks later, our group will go in and make the administration an offer they can’t refuse. The find is still a secret, and the only ones who know about it are Grigenko and us, so the price should be a relative bargain – remember, they have no idea what they’re sitting on. Grigenko can’t say anything or word of his terrorist attempt will leak, and then even his pull with the Russian government won’t be enough to stop international prosecution. Putting a group of killers in place to execute a sovereign government qualifies as terrorism, and there will be no place for him to hide. My hunch is he’ll stay quiet. So we’ll ink a deal and make the discovery a few months later, and everyone will win – except, of course, Grigenko. Check and mate.”
“You think he’ll just walk away?” Terry asked skeptically.
“The man is already filthy rich. This won’t change anything for him long term. True, he would have been filthier and richer, but it’s not worth losing his empire over. He’ll drop it, but he won’t be happy.”
“What about Belize? I can’t believe that’s all there is to it.”
“There’s more going on here than meets the eye, Terry. You don’t really want to know the rest. Suffice it to say that you’ll get a nice bonus and life will go on. Some things are best left alone. Trust me on that.”
“And the girl? The Israeli – David?”
“They’ve served their purpose, haven’t they? Let Grigenko hunt them down. It’s not our concern.”
Terry nodded. “And if they touch base again? Need more help?”
“Bring me any requests. As you’ve pointed out, they’re uniquely effective. It might be valuable to have them as allies down the road. Especially the woman. We both know an operative like that is worth her weight in platinum.” Sloan took a sip of his tea, then studied the cup like it had bitten him and frowned at it. “Remember, Terry. Always spread your bets out. You never know when that rainy day you’ve been saving up for will come. Nobody does.”
Sloan stood and looked around the empty area.
“Always nice to see you, Terry. Enjoy your coffee.”
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