Page 59 of The Lieutenant

The statement was made without reservation and honestly surprised me. His boldness was rare, which allowed him to falsely believe his power moved beyond ours. What was the saying I’d heard so many times? Ah, yes. All was fair in love and war. And this was definitely war.

“Not a wise move at all.” Ordinarily, most businesspeople would state our attorneys would be contacting theirs. I wasn’t in the mood for wasting any additional time on this project.

“How so?” Luke was amused with himself; meanwhile, the other two paled while sitting in their seats.

I took my time finding what I needed on my iPad while Kara leaned forward, attempting to look over my shoulder. Why not show her the ammunition I planned on using? I moved the iPad closer, curious as to her response.

She huffed loudly enough that attention was pulled in her direction and God love her, she rolled her eyes. “I think you should pay close attention to what Mr. Nomikos has to say.”

Nothing about her surprised me any longer. Her statement was met with utter discomfort on the other side of the table. While she’d disobeyed me, this one I’d allow to slide.

“My assistant is correct, Luke. I think you’ll understand why you should reconsider.” I slid the handheld across the table, sitting back in my chair. My eyes never left his, other than noticing the two men he’d brought were doing their best to determine what filth I had on their boss. Perhaps they believed they were in the free and clear.

Luke paled initially, but turned bright red seconds later. “This is bullshit! A fucking lie. It’s AI generated. I can prove it.”

“Well, I’m certain you’ll try, but the facts and the photographs speak for themselves. And I do have others. I think the authorities will find it interesting money has been exchanged with several rather unscrupulous men. What’s wrong, Luke? Because we refused to pay you ransom, you weren’t inclined to bother with our permit? Shame on you.”

When one of the others made the mistake of cursing under his breath, I turned my attention and aggravation toward him. “Don’t laugh, Elias. I’ve documented your foray into illegal gambling. How sad you owe your bookie over twenty thousand euros.”

Angel, the youngest of the men, acted as if he wanted to race from the room. I didn’t blame him since his affair with a minor could cause him and his marriage serious trouble. I sensed he knew better than to confront me.

“Now that we’re all on the same page, I’ll ask you again, Mr. Galanis. Are you prepared with our permits?”

Luke was visibly shaken as well as furious. He yanked a paper file from his colleague’s hands, almost ripped off the cover before getting to the papers underneath.

I slid a pen across the table, a gift from my father the day I’d turned eighteen. I could feel the man’s glare as I turned my head toward Kara. “Often men hide behind their true personalities,” I told her.

She smiled and continued furiously writing. I couldn’t wait to read her notes. I was certain I’d find her take on the meeting fascinating.

“Yes, I can see that,” she answered. Our eyes locked and I couldn’t read her thoughts as I’d done before.

Luke and the others jerked up, the man tossing the pen back in my direction. “Don’t think this will be the last of our interference. You and your family should rot in jail.”

It was the second time I’d been told that today. A busy day it would seem.

I wasn’t necessarily taking his warning lightly. He had as many powerful friends as those controlled by our regime. What I’d learned about the man in doing research was that he would stop at nothing to get what he wanted. Right now, killing a public official wasn’t on my to-do list.

As soon as I stood, so did Kara. She appeared confident and professional, holding her own during the terse meeting. It was even more for me to admire about her.

Luke slammed the door on the way out, the sound and the vibrations reverberating with the force. I took a deep breath, yanking the paperwork into my hand. We’d fought for this for months, almost considering abandoning the project. However, the location was perfect for also handling other aspects of our business while providing a needed service in the community.

At least I’d continued to tell myself that.

“You’re quite cunning, Mr. Nomikos,” Kara said almost in passing. It was something she’d determined already, but she was happy coming face to face with my business tactics.

“How will you write about this in your article?”

“I don’t know yet. But I assure you, I won’t go easy. Your ruthless reputation will remain intact.”

“I’m sure it will. Come. I’ll take you to lunch.”

“I don’t think that’s a good idea.”

The knock on the door interrupting our conversation was beyond annoying. “Yes?”

My real assistant stuck her head in, her expression indicating there was a problem. “I’m sorry for the interruption, but the police are here and they’re insistent on talking with you.”

I didn’t need to shift any attention toward Kara. She was on edge.

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