Showdown by Cindy Dees

Author:Cindy Dees [Dees, Cindy]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: gay romance
ISBN: 978-1-64405-247-1
Publisher: Dreamspinner Press
Published: 2020-08-19T16:00:00+00:00

Chapter Eleven

ZANE PULLED out the burner phone and stared at it in horror. Did he dare take the call? Surely the guy at the other end knew by now that the currency plates hadn’t been in the briefcase he handed over.

Sebastian said, “Answer it. Demand payment before you’ll deliver the plates. Make sure the counterfeiter knows the plates are in a safe place now, and not in your personal possession.”

The phone continued to ring insistently.

Zane nodded at Sebastian and picked up the call, setting up the speaker function so Sebastian could hear too. “Hello?”

“Where are the damned plaques?” a voice snarled.

“Where’s my damned money?” he responded in as threatening a tone as he could muster.

“Don’t get cute with me, pretty boy. You’ll be dead before you know what hit you.”

“Then you’ll never get your plaques back,” Zane said lightly, even though he felt like he might barf any second. Sebastian nodded encouragingly and made a hand gesture for him to continue talking. He took a deep breath and continued, “Surely you don’t think I’ve still got them on me, do you? What are those, anyway? Surely there’s something wrong with them if you’re willing to fork over so much cash for them and you’ve got armed guys shooting up alleys.”

“That’s none of your concern, and that shooter wasn’t ours.”

“Then who the hell was it?” he blurted. It seemed like a logical question if a guy didn’t know it had been Sebastian on that roof. Maybe it would convince the bad guys he was still working alone and give Sebastian a little cover.

“We’re working on that.” A pause. “Where did you put the plaques?”

“How stupid do you think I am? I hid them. If you kill me, you’ll never find them.”

A long, pregnant pause was the only response on the other end of the call. He could practically hear the person on the other end of the line reassessing him, reevaluating how to deal with him, now that he’d shown himself not to be a complete patsy.

At length the voice said, “Where do you want the money delivered?”

“Electronically transfer it to my bank account. You bragged that you would have no trouble finding my account information, so find it. Pay me. And then we’ll talk.”

Sebastian mouthed, Hang up.

Zane was more than happy to do so. He pushed the button that disconnected the call and threw the phone down onto the cream sofa, staring at it in distaste.

It started to ring again.

“Don’t answer,” Sebastian told him. “Let them stew. They’ve blown their first, best opportunity to get the plates, and now they’re going to have to play by your rules.”

“I have rules?” he asked.

“You do now.”

“Will they really pay me?”

Sebastian shrugged as he pulled out his own cell phone. “I’m counting on it.”

Zane openly eavesdropped as Sebastian made what looked like an overseas phone call. “Hey, Pere. It’s me. I need you to watch for any big deposits to a bank account. They’ll be from an Erebus source. Payment for the printing plates.

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